NEW: The Parent, Educator & Youth Guide to LGBTQ Cyberbullying

View this email in your browser NEW: The Parent, Educator & Youth Guide to LGBTQ Cyberbullying  Cyberbullying and online harassment can be an issue for anyone. But it’s especially pernicious for young people who identify or are coming out as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or questioning (LGBTQ): 52% of LGBTQ youth between the ages of 11 and 22 reported having been the targets of cyberbullying several times  55.5% of LGBTQ students across the United States felt unsafe at school based on their sexual identity ConnectSafely's latest guide, The Parent, Educator & Youth Guide to LGBTQ Cyberbullying explores how parents, schools and peers can support LGBTQ students. Topics include:  The risks and benefits of connected technology for LGBTQ youth Steps educators can take to create a positive school climate  Important advice for parents and teens The guide was written by veteran LGBTQ activist and scholar Warren J. Blumenfeld, Ed.D., in collaboration with parents and other educators. It joins ConnectSafely’s guides to social media, fake news, student data privacy, cyberbullying, cybersecurity, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, ASKfm, Kik, After School and other topics, and is available to read or download for free at connectsafely.org/lgbtq. More News & Views from ConnectSafely Generations will not be destroyed by smartphones Keeping track of your kids before and after school Tech checklist to prepare for a disaster and power failure The 411 on getting a mobile phone for your child (Our Children, the National PTA Magazine) Save the Date! Safer Internet Day is Feb. 6 Facebook Twitter Website YouTube Email LinkedIn Copyright © 2017 ConnectSafely, All rights reserved.

Silent - An Award Winning Short Film about the Power of Kindness

Instagram: Strengthening Our Commitment to Safety and Kindness for 800 Million

Today, we’re announcing new tools and programs to keep Instagram a safe and positive place for self-expression. Since the beginning, we’ve tried to make Instagram a welcoming place for everyone. Our community has grown to 800 million, with 500 million using it every day. It’s more important than ever to strengthen our commitment to safety and kindness.

Read more: http://blog.instagram.com/post/165759350412/170926-news

Sarahah ...

Sarahah is the latest social media application to create a stir. Simply put, Sarahah is a one-way, many-to-one anonymous messaging system that allows people to send messages to a particular person without the recipient knowing who sent them. These can come from people you know (from those in your phone contacts, for example) or from practically anyone, depending on how you have distributed your unique link (more on that below).

Read more: https://cyberbullying.org/sarahah

8 Rules for Safe Smartphone Use

So you got your kid a smartphone. Now what? Here are eight rules for safe smartphone use.

Video: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/videos/8-rules-for-safe-smartphone-use#

Also see 5 Questions to Ask Before You Get Your Kid a Phone 

from Common Sense Media

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/blog/5-questions-to-ask-before-you-get-your-kid-a-phone

Family Media Plan

Media should work for you & work within your family values & parenting style. When media is used thoughtfully & appropriately, media can enhance daily life. But when used inappropriately or without thought, media can displace many important activities such as face-to-face interaction, family-time, outdoor-play, exercise, unplugged downtime & sleep.

By creating a Personalized Family Media Use Plan, you can be aware of when you are using media to achieve your purpose. This requires parents & users to think about what they want those purposes to be. The tool below will help you to think about media & create goals & rules that are in line with your family’s values.

To make YOUR family’s Media Use Plan, start by entering your family’s information. This information will remain private and confidential.

Go to: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/media/Pages/default.aspx

Melinda Gates: I spent my career in technology. I wasn’t prepared for its effect on my kids

When my youngest child was born in 2002, the flip phone was still the coolest piece of tech you could get. Now I’m told that all three of my children are part of what demographers are calling iGen.

I spent my career at Microsoft trying to imagine what technology could do, and still I wasn’t prepared for smartphones and social media. Like many parents with children my kids’ age, I didn’t understand how they would transform the way my kids grew up — and the way I wanted to parent. I’m still trying to catch up.

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2017/08/24/melinda-gates-i-spent-my-career-in-technology-i-wasnt-prepared-for-its-effect-on-my-kids/